Description

BUSHEY MERRY HILL ROAD
TQ 19 SW
(North side)
Bushey
10/139 St. Margaret's
Clergy Orphan School
and Chapel
II
Large school. 1895-7, date in central gable. By A and P Waterhouse for
Clergy Orphan Corporation. Stock brick with red brick and red terracotta
dressings. Tiled roofs. Polychrome Gothic Style. Symmetrical block of a
roughly H plan. 3 storeys and attics. Central 8-bay block projects
forward. 2 central and outer bays project further under gables. Further
projecting central entrance porch with moulded round arched entrance and
a cross window to front, hollow chamfered window surround. Terracotta
over brick plinth. Terracotta parapet with lozenge and foliate ornament.
In recess of entrance porch double doors and a round arched window,
stained glass. Cross windows in returns of porch. Upper storeys of
central bays have 6 light mullion and transom windows with hollow and
ovolo moulded terracotta surrounds. First floor: stained glass, tile
relieving arches. Pilaster strips up to gable, attic window, brick
diapering and corbelling. Returns from central bays have tall windows
with stained glass. To right of centre are 3 staircase windows
corresponding to 2 bays on left. 2- and 6 light vertical windows with
octagonal stained glass panes. Brick relieving arches. Red brick courses
across front. Moulded cornice. Flat topped dormers. 2 outer gabled bays
to central block have pilaster strips flanking 3 storey canted bays with
coved heads. Tall stacks with oversailing caps. Set back from the 8 bay
central block are 3 bay links with tall sashes in groups of 2 or 3,
cambered heads and red brick surrounds. Dormers to right. Cross wings
extend well forward. 5 bays. 2 storeys with tall ground floor. Inner
facing elevations: to left tall paired sashes with margin lights,
segmental heads, red brick surrounds, first floor 5 pairs of small
sashes with pilaster strips. Corbelled out brick courses at heads. To
right, 3 ground floor tall sashes, 7 first floor windows. Left gable
end: a round headed window, brick diapering, ornamental star shaped
ridge stack. Right gable end: ground floor canted bay with 3 stained
glass lancets, steeply pitched hipped roof. 3 tall first floor sashes,
brick diapering. To centre on rear ridge of double span is bell tower.
Terracotta belfry with 3 openings to each side, each with a double blind
arcade. Moulded cornice. Corner octagonal shafts with finials. Tiled
trumpet shaped spire rises to leaded top. On ridges where cross wings
meet link blocks are small turrets with spirelets. Extending beyond
cross wings and set well back are 4 bay blocks with 4 gables over paired
windows. Rear or garden front: central gable with terracotta arms,
recessed links with lean-to's to 2 four storey towers, paired windows
and a raked plinth and chamfered angles to upper storeys. Tall pyramidal
roofs with leaded tops.Link blocks from towers to projecting gabled cross
wings, that to right with a 1 storey canted projection on the gable end.
To left from front a I-storey passage with a round headed entrance
in a gabled porch curves to link to the Chapel: 4-bay nave. 1-bay
chancel, short S transept. W entrance porch and small tower. W end:
projecting gabled porch with a round headed entrance, dripmould, moulded
plinth, terracotta corbelling and brick diapering. 2 slit openings.
Returns have relieving arches over slit windows. Above porch rises
tilehung tower, 4 openings to front with a gabled head, octagonal spire
with belfry openings. Flanking porch are 2 round headed lancets with
drip moulds, moulded terracotta inner surrounds and brick outer
surrounds. Angle buttresses. To N and S: tripartite round headed lancets
in relieving arches. Buttresses with pointed heads rise above sprocketed
eaves. S transept projects slightly. 2 single lights and upper round
opening, brick diapering in gable. Chancel has 3 round headed lancets to
E that to centre taller. Upper slit opening. Coped gable parapet.
Buttresses and 1 window to N and S. To S of chancel 1 storey organ bay
with gable to E over a 2 light window. Interior: entrance hall with
triple arcade to stairs with wrought iron balustrade. Chapel has round
chancel arch, chamfered base, leaf moulding. (Pevsner 1977).

Listing NGR: TQ1344894527

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26630408

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover